50 Healthy, Low-Cal Cocktail Recipes for the Aspiring Skinny Girl

May 11th, 2011

While alcoholic drinks are never healthy per se, even the most health conscious among us still want to let loose and have a few to end a long week, celebrate life events or relax on vacation. The trouble is that so many alcoholic beverages contain loads of calories and can derail a day of eating healthy in a matter of minutes. Luckily, there are a number of tasty drinks out there that aren't too heavy on the calories, so you can have fun while still sticking to a diet plan. Check out these great recipes for cocktails perfect for the health conscious.

Basics

These drinks keep it simple, low-cal and delicious.

Vodka and Sprite Zero: Choose a nice vodka, mix it with diet Sierra Mist or Sprite Zero and a twist of lemon or lime for a tasty, refreshing drink.

Rum and Diet Coke: Often referred to as a "skinny bitch," this combo tastes best with a spiced rum like Captain Morgan.

Gin and Tonic: You'll watch your waistline and still have a classy drink when you order this combo. Look for diet tonics when available.

Lynchburg Lemonade: The regular version of this drink is loaded with sugar (up to 40 grams) but this twist lets you cut it down to almost nothing with 3 g carbs and 107 calories.

Low-Cal Pina Colada: There are few drinks out there as unhealthy for you as a pina colada. If you can't resist the coconutty goodness, try out this recipe that packs a much smaller nutritional punch instead.

Enjoy a tropical cocktail without hurting your waistline with one of these drink recipes.

Mojito: This refreshing minty drink gets a low-cal twist by using diet soda and Splenda.

Strawberry Daiquiri: With this recipe, you can get a beach-inspired drink without the hefty calories– just 144 per serving.

Strawberry Kiss: Rum, strawberries, orange liqueur and lemon juice get shaken and poured into an ice-filled glass for a fruity treat with only 197 calories.

Caipirinha: Finding this Brazilian rum may not be easy, but when you do you'll be able to appreciate this simple and delicious drink.

Rumbling Papaya: Even in the dead of winter, you'll feel tropical when drinking this cocktail of coconut rum, papaya juice and raspberries. With just 133 calories, you'll be ready for the beach when summer comes around.

Island Limeade: With 182 calories per serving, this tangy cocktail will become one of your summertime favorites.

If your tastes lean more towards wine, champagne or liqueur, check out one of these recipes.

Fruity White Sangria: If you're a committed wine drinker, consider mixing up some sangria with your next bottle. Depending on the kind of fruit you use, the drink may have as little as 94 calories a glass.

Choco-lite Cocktail: Need dessert and a drink? Do both with this drink using Godiva chocolate liqueur.

Elderflower Sparkler: Champagne and elderflower concentrate make up this drink. If you can't find elderflower concentrate, you can substitute an elderflower liqueur like St. Germain, though it might up your calorie content.

Golden Sparkler: Use champagne or sparkling white wine to give this drink its sparkle. With only 68 calories per serving, you can afford to have more than one!